…as party’s top leaders fight
…party leader Kabi accuses deputy and SG of insubordination
Mohloai Mpesi
THE once mighty All Basotho Convention (ABC) has imploded.
The leadership of the once-dominant party is at war with itself, plunging the party deeper into crisis after leader Nkaku Kabi issued a circular accusing his deputy, Samonyane Ntsekele, and Secretary General Thebe Mokoatle of “deliberately destabilising” the party.
The ABC, founded in October 2006 by former Prime Minister Tom Thabane after he broke away from the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD), once dominated Lesotho’s political landscape, winning a landslide 51 constituency seats in the 2017 general election and leading the governing coalition which took power that year.
Before that, the ABC had won power in the 2012 general elections after forming Lesotho’s first coalition government with the LCD and the Basotho National Party (BNP). That year, the ABC had won 30 seats and was second behind the DC’s 48.
But the party suffered a catastrophic collapse in the October 2022 polls won by the then six-month-old Revolution for Prosperity (RFP). The ABC lost all the 51 constituencies it had won in 2017 and subsisted on just eight Proportional Representation (PR) seats.
Mr Kabi had taken over the party’s leadership from Mr Thabane in February 2022, just months before the electoral defeat. This after Mr Thabane had been forced to resign after the police named him as a suspect in the shooting death of his estranged wife, Lipolelo, who was killed outside her home in Maseru just two days before his inauguration in June 2017. His current wife, His current wife, ‘Maesaiah Thabane, was formally charged with Lipolelo’s murder in early 2020, deepening the scandal. Both Thomas and ‘Maesaiah denied any involvement.
On the back of the mounting pressure and legal troubles, Thabane then announced in January 2022 that he would step down as ABC party leader due to his advanced age and poor health. The ABC went on to hold a special conference vote on 2 February 2022 to choose a leader before the impending national elections that year. Kabi was elected leader at that conference with the backing of the Thabane faction. His 723 votes against rival candidate Moeketsi Majoro’s 609 votes saw him take over the helm of the ABC, succeeding the founding leader, though Thabane had previously stepped down as the country’s prime minister earlier in May 2020 (where Majoro had initially replaced Thabane as prime minister).
Mr Kabi subsequently announced that he was pursuing a “revitalisation” strategy to rebuild the once-illustrious party, which continues to be dogged by deep internal factionalism.
Mr Kabi’s circular, issued on Wednesday, follows a shocking incident in which Mr Mokoatle was attacked by Mr Kabi’s bodyguards at a sitting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) several weeks ago. The bodyguards reportedly said they were concerned about Mr Kabi’s safety.
In the circular, Mr Kabi accused Messrs Mokoatle and Ntsekele of repeatedly disobeying NEC decisions and working against him.
Among the incidents he cited was Mr Mokoatle’s alleged disregard of an NEC directive to hold a rally in the Leribe constituency. Instead, Mr Mokoatle allegedly deviated and organised the said rally in the Matlakeng constituency.
“I report to you regarding the behaviour of the deputy leader and secretary general, which seems to be bringing instability within the party…” Mr Kabi said in the 25 August circular addressed to the ABC members.
“The NEC decided to hold a rally at the Leribe constituency, but he went against that decision and wrote to the Matlakeng constituency to choose a venue and begin preparations for the rally there.
“That forced me to summon a sitting of the NEC to reprimand him. He took a long time to rectify that mistake and eventually wrote to the correct constituency of Leribe, where the rally was held,” Mr Kabi said.
A pattern of defiance
Mr Kabi said a similar episode occurred when Mr Mokoatle allegedly started organising a rally in the Majoe-a-Litšoene constituency when the NEC had in fact ordered that it should be held in the Lithabaneng constituency. Mr Kabi was meant to address that rally.
“After that, the NEC decided to hold a rally at the Lithabaneng constituency. Similarly, the Secretary General decided to write to Majoe-a-Lits’oene constituency to prepare for the leader’s rally. I also called a sitting of the NEC to reprimand him for not respecting the NEC’s decisions.
“He similarly took a long time to rectify that mistake and write to the correct constituency of Lithabaneng.
“The other mistake is where he chose his own delegates to resolve issues that arose in Moselinyane constituency, instead of the delegation that was chosen by the committee,” Mr Kabi’s circular reads.
Mr Kabi further stated that, following the party’s poor showing in the 2022 general elections, he had proposed that the ABC vacate its office premises because of the high rental costs.
He alleged that Mr Ntsekele subsequently signed a contract renewal without the party’s knowledge.
“Last month, when I wanted to see the contract to find out when it ends, the committee and I were shocked to discover that the deputy leader had signed a renewal of the contract without the committee’s knowledge. They reached that decision together with a Mr Molefi Mabote, who is a secretary in the party’s Gauteng Province structure.
“The contract indicates that we have to submit 12 months’ notice should we resolve to vacate the building.
“Nowhere in the ABC Constitution does the deputy leader have the right to sign these kinds of contractual agreements. This issue was part of the agenda which was supposed to be discussed in today’s meeting,” he said.
Undermining the leader
Mr Kabi further accused Mr Ntsekele of contradicting him during rallies in front of ABC members on two separate occasions, which he said amounted to undermining the party leader.
He also accused Mr Ntsekele of boasting about how much of a “man” he was and claiming to have a large following, including within the NEC.
“The deputy leader does many things in front of party members that compel me to invoke the constitution to bring him under control. He once spoke against the leader’s speech at the conference held at Leqele High School, something that has never happened before in the history of Lesotho’s politics.
“He did the same thing again at a workshop held at Khubetsoana in January this year, stating how much of a man he is, and that he has lobbied many committee members behind him.
“His behaviour did not end there. Recently, we were summoned by the founder of the party, where he kept telling the delegation that went there how much of a man he is…
“They have been influencing constituencies to request a special conference, but until now, it is only the Mabote constituency that has written a letter asking for one. Even though I have not seen their letter, other constituencies have refused to write one, including the constituency of the deputy leader and that of the Secretary General.”
Ntsekele, Mokoatle react
Contacted for comment, Mr Ntsekele told the Sunday Express on Friday that he was surprised by Mr Kabi’s allegations.
“I actually don’t want to comment on those issues about that person. What I can say is that I am surprised about the way that he has put those issues. I am really surprised,” he said.
Mr Mokoatle, for his part, dismissed Mr Kabi’s allegations as fabricated, saying they had no basis in fact.
“There is not even an iota of truth in those issues. He just made them up – 100 percent fabricated stories. There has never been a time in a sitting where he showed any concern about such issues. I am surprised when I see this circular.
“He claims that I wrote to the Matlakeng constituency instead of the Leribe constituency, then rectified the mistake after some time when the committee had called a meeting.
“In the letters I wrote to the Secretary of Matlakeng constituency, there is nothing like that. If you were to search the Matlakeng constituency secretary’s files, you will not find what he is talking about. There has never been a second sitting (of the NEC) summoned to rectify my conduct,” Mr Mokoatle said.